Ghita and Tavares Face Off

Enfusion heavyweight champion Luis Tavares and former K-1 and Glory contender Daniel Ghita faced off today. The two fighters will meet in Antwerp, Belgium on September 15 as part of the Enfusion 70 event.

It’s Ghita’s first kickboxing bout in years. The Romanian fan favorite disappeared from the sport after losing a decision to Glory champion Rico Verhoeven in a title fight. Ghita is now age 37 and will be coming into the ring with years of ring rust, but he’s unquestionably more powerful and has fought at a higher level of competition.

Tavares has stayed active recently but still figures to be an underdog against the hard-hitting Ghita. The Dutch-Cape Verde fighter successfully defended his title in March with a stoppage win over Faith Ulusoy. Tavares also won a non-title bout last month against Kamran Aminzade of Iran. Neither fighter has the same type of ability as Ghita, and Tavares also suffered a decision loss in a heavyweight tournament to Donegi Abena. Abena went on to upset Andrei Stoica by decision at ACB KB 16 on July 13.